Let The Wheeling and Dealing Begin

If you are seeking a personal injury settlement, you may need to do some negotiating. Settlements based on car accident damages can vary quite a bit from case to case. What you end up with depends on several factors, so read on to find what factors influence your settlement and the easy way to ensure you are paid what you deserve.

What Are Your Damages?

To get a better idea of what to expect before you begin negotiating with the insurance company for the at-fault insurance company, you should know about your damages. Every accident has unique characteristics. For example, you may be owed more money if your injuries were severe. Damages include your medical expenses, future medical expenses, lost wages from a job, pain and suffering, and more. It's not as simple as adding up your damages and then asking the insurer for it, though. Some damages, like pain and suffering, are calculated using mathematical formulas that multiply your medical expenses by a mysterious factor. Then all the other damages are added together. That is only one way to calculate personal injury settlements.

Getting Things Started

Luckily, accident victims are not on their own when trying to figure out how much money they are owed. Personal injury lawyers can do an evaluation of your case and let you know a ballpark range you can expect to be paid. Most of the time, things get started with a letter that asks the at-fault driver's insurer to pay you a sum. You and your lawyer will agree on how much you should ask for and then a small amount is added onto that to allow room for negotiations. That is another thing accident victims with personal injury lawyers don't have to worry about – negotiating with the insurance company.

Negotiating a Settlement

When you are offered an acceptable settlement, it's time to close the case. Otherwise, you must either drop the case or take it to court. Most accidents, though, do settle and it's easy to see why. Settlements offer accident victims a quick and easy way to get paid and they offer the other side a way to end the case without the expense and time needed to take a case to court. Before anything is settled, though, some back-and-forth between the lawyers must occur. In some cases, you will need to be flexible and accept a lower sum than you wanted. Keep your bottom line in mind, however, and don't sell yourself short.

Find out more about your damages and negotiate for a good settlement by speaking to a professional firm such as Basu Law.